After all, he rationalizes, he is aware of the fact that sometimes he is dreaming and since this is the case, might not all the world be a dream? "As if I were not a man who sleeps at night and often has all the same experiences while asleep as madmen do when awake -- indeed sometimes even more improbable ones. Often in my dreams I am convinced of just such familiar events -- that I am sitting by the fire in my dressing-gown -- when in fact I am lying undressed in bed" (Descartes 1)
For example, the following statement is just too reductive to really "Of course, it's important to remember that the human brain is complicated. Understanding what the increased density of gray matter really means is still, well, a gray area" (Bhanoo, 2011)
Participants had to be both physically and psychologically healthy and not taking any medication. Other criteria for inclusion in the study were that they couldn't have taken meditation in the last half of a year, and with no more than five classes in the past five years and no more than ten classes their entire lifetime (Holzel, 2011)
In other words, one cannot think of God as perfect without supposing God's existence. If someone objected that God does not necessarily possess perfection -- pointing for example to the Greek gods who were almighty but not perfect -- Descartes would reply that the idea in him (Descartes) is of a perfect God, not an imperfect one
The meditation and reflection session also helped me to examine the situation with openness and from a positive perspective. Generally, there are various objects that are used to focus an individual's attention including emphasis on sensations of emotions, thoughts, or breathing or looking at different types of body sensations (Bhanoo, 2011)
Alertness basically involved having the right posture at the appropriate time and place and recollecting my mind to ensure it does not drift to other things. The sense of openness and receptivity was brought by relaxing, looking at the problem positively, and lessening body tension or anxiety (Brach, n
I found the meditation experience quite calming, self-expanding, transpersonal, and rejuvenating. The 4-week regimen was not only profound but also enabled me to be quiet, conduct self-observation, and experience stillness (Johnson, 2009, p
Problems with thoughts during the process were brought by seeming inability to quiet them mind and prevent it from drifting in some cases. Restlessness was characterized with the fact that I sometimes found it hard to sit still and be quiet and was confronted with feelings of wanting to get up and do other things (Maddux & Maddux, n
Unlike before, I have learnt how to look at my capability to handle issues in life and how to look at challenges and problems differently. In essence, meditations have made me realize that I don't need to limit who I think I am or what I am capable of doing or achieving (Salzberg, 2011, p
As I sit and connect with the different interfaith groups, these teachings will be at the forefront of my ministry. Buddha was never a doctrinaire in his teachings, and always instructed his followers to "work with diligence" (Dockett, Dudley-Grant, and Bankart 19)
Overview of Buddhist Meditation Buddhism is a journey into the depth of one's heart and mind -- an exploration of who we are and what we are (the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche). Historically, Buddhism has been used to achieve a calmer self within the individual, to develop a freer, calmer personality, and to free oneself from the delusions that cause suffering within oneself and towards individuals that the person may be attached to (Harvey 2)
8. The Baptist Faith The sessions for the Baptist faith are held every Monday and about 14 members of the Baptist faith, including the pastor, the associate pastors, and the ushers attend the sessions (Magida and Matlins 44)
I am also deeply inspired by the approach of my Buddhist chaplain brother, Mark Power and have chosen to incorporate his teaching of embracing the ambiguity within the different religions and establishing a sense of community in the midst of them. According to Power, in order to achieve successful meditation, I must first enter to "newness" and let go of all of my reservations and generalizations (Power 50)
6. Meditation Meditation is the medium that Buddhists use to form a detachment from the state of mind that is keeping them from total freedom (Repetti 169)
4. The Four Noble Truths The Four Noble Truths of Buddhism are: 1) the noble truth of suffering, 2) the noble truths of the origin of suffering, 3) the noble truth of the cessation of suffering and the origin of suffering and 4) the noble truth of the path that leads to the cessation of suffering and the origin of suffering (Tsering and McDougall 8)
"When the attention wanders, the meditation continually refocuses on the meditative stimulus. When strong feelings arise, the mediator notices the feeling and allows himself or herself to be with the feeling as it occurs, observing it until it subsides, then returning to the object of attention" (Astin, 1997)
This further allows the individual to analyze his/her own thoughts without passing judgment on them and transferring into the acceptance phase about their medical problem at hand (i.e. ADHD) (Castleman, 1996)
e. related to the motivational factors and values) (Curiati et al
At present, it is unclear whether the ability to sustain attention and its underlying brain circuitry are transformable through training. Here, we show, & #8230; that training attention, as cultivated by meditation, can improve the ability to sustain attention" (Davidson et al
On the other hand, a review of the research studies from the past 2 decades reveals that inclusion of meditation and religion (in the form of prayer as is the case in transcendental meditation) in the practitioner's workplace happens to be rather questionable. Whilst a few psychologists incorporate religious procedures within their therapeutic and neural enhancement sessions, several specialists do not appreciate the significance of spirituality and meditation as an appropriate remedy in neurology (Gubi